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Increase in camping rates at the Wilderness Road campground
Effective June 1, 2013, camping rates will increase. Tent sites will increase to $14.00 per night and RV sites with electrical hookup will increase to $20.00 per night. Group camp sites will increase to $35.00 per night.
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Special Program offered in place of Hensley tour on June 16
The regularly scheduled Hensley tour will not be offered on June 16 but will be replaced by a special Father's Day program. The road to the Hensley Settlement will be open to visitors and living history demonstrations will be offered. More »
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Cave Tour Alert!
White Nose Syndrome is a disease that is killing bats in great numbers and has been found in park caves. While visiting Gap Cave please do not wear or bring anything that has been in other caves. Skylight Cave is currently closed.
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Civil War Event Cancelled
Invisible Souls: Behind the Veil of the Civil War, a special event showcasing stories of the Civil War October 4, 5, and 6, 2013 has been cancelled. Please call the park visitor center at (606) 248-2817, extension 1075 for more information.
Animals
White-tailed deer Photo by Scott Teodorski Extending from 1100 to 3500 feet above sea level and across various habitat types, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park supports a rather diverse animal assemblage. The current recorded number of animals is 371 but many more could be added with additional study, which we expect the Inventory and Monitoring Program to provide. The less obvious or easily observed animals such as insects probably exist in far greater numbers than we have identified at this time. We do have documentation for: 33 mammals, 89 birds, 29 amphibians, 15 reptiles, 27 fish, and 178 insects. Animals that a visitor could expect to see include cottontail rabbit, gray squirrel, opossum, striped skunk, bobcat, white-tailed deer, raccoon, gray fox, black bear, various bats, song birds, wild turkey, hawks and vultures, snakes, turtles, and, perhaps, an elk. The autumn hawk migration is usually spectacular and can be observed from numerous vantage points along the Ridge Trail and especially from the Pinnacle overlook. The most dangerous animal in the Park is probably the tick because of the diseases it can transmit. Proper deference should be shown to venomous snakes and bears as well. |
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Did You Know?
Hensley Settlement is located on a plateau nearly 1,000 feet higher than the Pinnacle Overlook! Ranger-guided tours visit this historic log cabin settlement mid-May through the end of October.